Open Skies Treaty and what it means for AEDC

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  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  In May, a Russian aircraft flew over Arnold Air Force Base for an observation flight as part of the Open Skies Treaty.

The flyover was part of a mission allowed under the Open Skies Treaty, also known as the Treaty on Open Skies, which was signed by 34 participating nations in 1992 permitting each state party to conduct short-notice, unarmed observation flights over the others’ territories to collect data on military forces and activities.
These flights contribute to security by enhancing openness and transparency among the signed parties.

According to Holly Petty, a Treaty Compliance Officer for AEDC at Arnold, the push to conduct these type of flights actually started before 1992.
“The Open Skies Treaty was first initiated in 1955 by President Dwight Eisenhower, but was re-initiated by President Bush in 1989,” she said. “It’s designed to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants a direct role in gathering information about areas of concern to them and ensure that state parties are complying with arms control agreements.”

The 34 state parties who have signed and ratified the Open Skies Treaty are: Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Kyrgyzstan has also signed, but not ratified the treaty.

Open Skies missions consist of Active Observation Missions, known as AOMs, which are the number of flights each party has the right to conduct, and Passive Observation Missions, which are the number of flights each party is obliged to accept.

“Each state party has an annual quota of AOMs, with the majority being 12 or fewer,” Petty said. “However, the U.S and [the Union State of] Russia and Belarus each have a quota of 42 per year.”

She explained that a state party is notified before a flyover takes place in its territory.

“When AEDC is notified of a pending mission, we notify and coordinate with multiple organizations and gather details of any local high value activities that could impose hazardous airspace and cannot be postponed or cancelled,” Petty said. “Data may be used to negotiate a flight path that avoids the activity or may serve only as notification to proceed with caution in the area.”

In addition, there are do’s and don’ts concerning flyovers. The types of aircraft and aircraft sensors must be part of an approved list.

“All aircraft sensors must meet Treaty criteria,” Petty said.

The Open Skies criteria for observation flights are as follows:

1) Fly at certified heights (a height minimum) above ground to achieve no better than 30 centimeter ground resolutions;

2) Provide for initial processing of imagery products;

3) Provide logistics support to host foreign aircraft and observation teams.

When performing flyovers for the United States, the Air Force provides dedicated aircraft to fly observation missions in partner countries.
The certified aircraft vary for each state party and include the Boeing OC-135B Open Skies (U.S.), Lockheed C-130 Hercules (Canada and France), CASA CN-235 (Turkey), Antonov An-26 (Hungary), Saab 340/OS-100 (Sweden), Antonov An-30B (Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Russia), and Tupolev Tu-154M/LK1 (Russia). Typically onlookers on the ground are unable to distinguish an Open Skies overflight aircraft from a civilian jetliner flying overhead at 30,000 feet.

According to Petty, a newly certified Russian aircraft known as the Tupolev Tu-214ON has been the basis of much controversy in the past year.

“The U.S. refused to certify to the aircraft in September 2018,” she said. “However, it has since been certified and was the aircraft that recently completed a mission April 22-27, 2019, from Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in Missouri that included a flyover of Arnold Air Force Base.”

Nick Edwards, with the AEDC Security Enterprise at Arnold, advises AEDC team members that these Open Skies flyovers are not a cause for concern to those on base, and Arnold Security is notified. However, if the activity seems suspicious, contact the Information Protection Office at 931-454-3290. If there are any questions regarding Open Skies, call 931-454-5681 or 931-454-4158.